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January 12, 1974 Jim Croce’s album You Don’t Mess Around with Jim hits #1!

day 280

I love a good story song and You Don’t Mess Around With Jim is in the form of a blues and takes place in NYC so this song gets a 3 thumbs up!

We’re still in the Poconos and just listened to our son Casey on the Prairie Home Companion Radio show with Chanticleer! He had a couple of solos and sounded unbelievable. We were checking every radio station up here in the woods but couldn’t lock into it so we finally got it streaming on the computer.

It will air again tomorrow so if y’all didn’t hear the show tonight you have another shot on Sunday and I think they probably archive it for a while on their website. Go find it.

I’m all out of firewood and since Claudia won’t let me play with the axe we need to order some. There are guys on craigslist who will deliver but we will have to do it next time we are up here.

I watched the Baltimore/Denver game and it almost gave me a nervous breakdown. Claudia kept yelling downstairs, “What’s the matter?” I couldn’t explain so I’d just yell back, “THE GAME!” and she’d say, “Oh.”

Jim Croce is one of those singers with a uniquely identifiable voice. I think it’s a sad voice, but I’m not sure if that’s his tone or if I just feel sad when I listen to him, knowing he died too young. Time In A Bottle is a beautiful song.

Well, it’s time for New Year’s resolutions.

Oh, wait. I don’t have any yet. I guess i have until Monday night to figure some out.

But I don’t drink or smoke and I already gave up red meat. What the hell else is there?

July 21, 1973 – Jim Croce’s Bad Bad Leroy Brown started a two week run at #1!

day 106

In the summer of ’73, just before my senior year, I took a trip to Berkeley, CA to visit my big sister Joni. If I had to choose another place to live, one of my choices would be Berkeley – a lot of displaced old hippies, a lot of New Yorkers, never too hot, nice breezes, just a few hours from Tahoe, wine country, Vegas, Reno… Uh-oh gambling! On second thought maybe I should keep my butt in New York.

Anyway, that trip to Berkeley in 73 was beautiful. My sister took me to the Russian River and we rafted. She taught me how to drive stick – although 11 years later on my honeymoon in Acapulco they only rented jeeps with stick, and I totally destroyed that rental, so maybe I didn’t learn too well! Oops! But I loved Berkeley, and even now love walking down Telegraph Avenue with the old head shops, tie dyed shirts, kids playing guitars on the sidewalk, everyone pan handling, no one has a job. Uh-oh I definitely should keep my butt in N.Y.

Now my mom Joan lives with my sister Joni and my sister-in-law Nancy in Berkeley and it sounds like my mom is having a ball. What with all the nice weather and gambling nearby!

I don’t remember Bad Bad Leroy Brown from that summer, and for a long time I though it was corny. Now I love it and play it all the time. It’s fun to sing.